U.S. patent application number 12/539327 was filed with the patent office on 2010-02-11 for energy device with integral collector surface for electromagnetic energy harvesting and method thereof.
Invention is credited to Paul C. Brantner.
Application Number | 20100032001 12/539327 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41651790 |
Filed Date | 2010-02-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100032001 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brantner; Paul C. |
February 11, 2010 |
Energy Device With Integral Collector Surface For Electromagnetic
Energy Harvesting And Method Thereof
Abstract
An apparatus, method, and system to harvest and store
electromagnetic energy is disclosed. The present invention uses,
for example, conductive surfaces within the energy storage
component itself as a means of electromagnetic energy collection.
The surface may be an integral portion of the energy device, such
as a charge collection surface within a battery or a capacitor that
mainly provides the battery or a capacitor with a necessary
function. In another embodiment of the invention a metallic or
conductive surface is added to and specifically built into the
energy device during manufacturing for the main purpose of
collecting electromagnetic energy for the energy device but is
otherwise not necessary for the energy storage component. Once the
energy is collected, it can be rectified either via rectification
components that were built directly into the energy storage
component during its manufacture or connected external to the
energy storage component but within the energy device. The
so-designed energy device may represent a self-sustaining,
autonomous electromagnetic energy harvesting--energy storage
device.
Inventors: |
Brantner; Paul C.; (Conifer,
CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP
1101 New York Avenue, NW
Washington
DC
20005
US
|
Family ID: |
41651790 |
Appl. No.: |
12/539327 |
Filed: |
August 11, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61087927 |
Aug 11, 2008 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
136/244 ;
136/252; 136/256; 136/259 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02E 60/10 20130101;
H01Q 1/44 20130101; H01M 10/465 20130101; H02J 50/40 20160201; H02J
7/0042 20130101; H02J 50/00 20160201; H02S 40/38 20141201; Y02E
70/30 20130101; H01M 10/46 20130101; H02J 50/27 20160201; H02J
7/025 20130101; H01Q 1/248 20130101; Y02E 10/50 20130101; H02J
50/001 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
136/244 ;
136/252; 136/259; 136/256 |
International
Class: |
H01L 31/042 20060101
H01L031/042; H01L 31/02 20060101 H01L031/02; H01L 31/0203 20060101
H01L031/0203; H01L 31/0236 20060101 H01L031/0236 |
Claims
1. An energy device comprising: an energy storage component, and at
least one electrically conductive surface that is an integral part
of said energy storage component, wherein said at least one surface
is adapted to collect electromagnetic energy.
2. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said energy storage
component comprises any device from the group comprising
electrochemical storage device, electrical storage device,
mechanical energy storage device, electro-mechanical device,
thermal energy storage device, and chemical energy storage
device.
3. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said energy storage
component comprising components selected from the group of:
battery, thin-film battery, capacitor, thin-film capacitor,
piezo-electric element, magneto-electric element, thermal mass
container, flywheel, micro-flywheel, micro electro-mechanical
system (MEMS), mechanical spring, hydrogen generator with hydrogen
container, and ozone generator with ozone container.
4. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said electrically
conductive surface comprises a suitable electromagnetic impedance
that is adapted to the frequencies of the collected electromagnetic
energies such that the dimensions of said surface are sized to
create signal gains in the wavelength targeted for harvesting.
5. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said electrically
conductive surface comprises a material selected from the group of:
the anode of an electrochemical storage device, the anode current
collector of an electrochemical storage device, the cathode of an
electrochemical storage device, the cathode current collector of an
electrochemical storage device, the encapsulation of an
electrochemical storage device, the substrate of an electrochemical
storage device, the casing of an electrochemical storage device,
the negative electrode of a capacitor, the positive electrode of a
capacitor, and the casing of a capacitor.
6. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface is structurally or chemically
modified beyond the primary functional need by said energy storage
component, whereby said modification causes an increase in the
ability of said surface to collect electromagnetic energy.
7. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises an increased surface area
in at least one horizontal direction.
8. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises an increased
thickness.
9. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically
conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction parallel
to the component layers.
10. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically
conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction
orthogonal to the component layers.
11. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises an increased surface area
in at least one horizontal direction.
12. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises an increased
thickness.
13. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically
conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction parallel
to the component layers.
14. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said at least one
electrically conductive surface comprises at least one electrically
conductive protrusion extending therefrom in the direction
orthogonal to the component layers.
15. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising said
electrically conductive surface incorporated into said device
during the fabrication of said energy storage component.
16. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said electrically
conductive surface comprises a material selected from the group of:
metals, alloys, semiconductors, conductive organics and polymers,
and conductive composites.
17. The energy device of claim 1, wherein the shape of said device
is selected from the group of: square, rectangular, triangular,
multi-sided polygonal, round, curved, wavy, and non-uniform in
thickness.
18. The energy device of claim 1, wherein the collected
electromagnetic energy comprises energy selected from the group of:
electrical field coupled energy, magnetic field coupled energy,
light wave direct coupled energy, light wave thermally coupled
energy, laser or coherent light coupled energy, and sub-millimeter
wavelength radiation coupled energy.
19. The energy device of claim 1, wherein the collected
electromagnetic energy is selected from the group comprising: broad
band frequency, narrow band frequency, directed energy, indirect
energy, ultra low frequency, super low frequency, very low
frequency, low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, very
high frequency, ultra high frequency, super high frequency,
extremely high frequency, infra red light frequency, visible light
frequency, ultra violet light frequency, and x-ray frequency.
20. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of
electrically conductive surfaces.
21. The energy device of claim 20, wherein said surfaces are
adapted to form an array that improves the collection of power of
the electromagnetic energy in an omni-directional response.
22. The energy device of claim 20, wherein said surfaces are
adapted to form an array that improves the collection of power of
the electromagnetic energy in an uni-directional response.
23. An array comprising a plurality of energy devices of claim
1.
24. The array of claim 23, further comprising electrically
conductive surfaces adapted to collect electromagnetic energy in an
omni-directional response.
25. The array of claim 23, further comprising electrically
conductive surfaces adapted collect electromagnetic energy in a
uni-directional response.
26. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising at least one
external rectification element adapted to rectify the collected
electromagnetic energy.
27. The energy device of claim 26, wherein said at least one
rectification element is selected from the group of external diode,
rectenna comprising said external diode and said electrically
conductive surface, external full bridge rectifier, external half
bridge rectifier, and external reactive components, wherein said
external reactive components comprise any combination of
capacitors, coils, diodes, transistors, RF chokes, and integrated
devices.
28. The energy device of claim 26, further comprising two or more
rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at
least two electrically conductive surfaces of differing sizes in
order to allow broad band energy collection.
29. The energy device of claim 26, comprising two or more
rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at
least two electrically conductive surfaces of similar sizes in
order to allow narrow band energy collection.
30. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising at least one
integral rectification element that is adapted to rectify the
collected electromagnetic energy.
31. The energy device of claim 30, wherein said integral
rectification element comprises a part of said energy storage
component and wherein said integral rectification element comprises
the electrical properties of at least a diode, a rectenna, a full
bridge rectifier, a half bridge rectifier, or a reactive
component.
32. The energy device of claim 30, further comprising two or more
rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at
least two electrically conductive surfaces of differing sizes in
order to allow broad band energy collection.
33. The energy device of claim 30, comprising two or more
rectification elements grouped in parallel and/or series and at
least two electrically conductive surfaces of similar sizes in
order to allow narrow band energy collection.
34. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said energy storage
component comprises a geometrical shape selected from the group of
square, rectangular, triangular, multi-sided polygonal, round,
curved, wavy, and non-uniform in thickness.
35. The energy device of claim 1, further comprising more than one
energy storage component.
36. The energy device of claim 1, wherein said more than one energy
storage components are connected in series or in parallel and
wherein at least one of said energy storage components is adapted
to provide an electrically conductive surface that is adapted to
collect electromagnetic energy.
37. The energy device of claim 36, wherein said energy storage
components all comprise substantially the same size and shape.
38. The energy device of claim 36, wherein at least one of said
energy storage components comprise a substantially different size
and shape than the other energy storage components.
39. The energy device of claim 20, wherein said plurality of
electrically conductive surfaces comprises a connection in series
or in parallel that are adapted to collect electromagnetic
energy.
40. The energy device of claim 39, wherein all electrically
conductive surfaces comprise substantially equal size and
shape.
41. The energy device of claim 39, wherein at least one of said
electrically conductive surfaces comprises a substantially
different size and shape than the other electrically conductive
surfaces.
42. The energy device of claim 23, wherein said array of energy
devices comprise a connection in series or in parallel and wherein
at least one of said energy devices provides an electrically
conductive surface that is adapted to collect electromagnetic
energy.
43. The energy device of claim 42, wherein said energy devices all
comprise substantially equal size and shape.
44. The energy device of claim 42, wherein at least one of said
energy devices comprise a substantially different size and shape
than the other energy devices.
45. A method of collecting electromagnetic energy within an
environment containing electromagnetic energy comprising: providing
at least one energy harvesting device within the environment, said
device comprising an electrically conductive surface and an energy
storage component; collecting electromagnetic energy from the
environment across said electrically conductive surface; storing
the energy in said energy storage component; powering an autonomous
electrical device.
46. The method of claim 45, further comprising modifying the
geometry of said electrically conductive surface to improve the
collection of electromagnetic energy.
47. The method of claim 45, further comprising rectifying the
collected electromagnetic energy before storing the energy in said
energy storage component.
48. A method of collecting electromagnetic energy within an
environment containing electromagnetic energy comprising: providing
at least one energy harvesting device within the environment, said
device comprising an electrically conductive surface; and
collecting electromagnetic energy from the environment across said
electrically conductive surface.
49. The method of claim 48, further comprising modifying the
geometry of said electrically conductive surface to improve the
collection of electromagnetic energy.
50. The method of claim 48, further comprising rectifying the
collected electromagnetic energy before storing the energy in said
energy storage component.
51. The method of claim 48, further comprising powering an
autonomous electrical device.
52. The method of claim 48, further comprising storing the
collected energy.
53. The energy device of claim 4, wherein said electrically
conductive surface comprises a height of a dielectric (h), and a
dielectric constant (.epsilon..sub.r), and said dimensions of said
surface for harvesting energy frequency (f.sub.r) comprises width
W=1/2fr {square root over (.mu..sub.0.epsilon..sub.0)}* {square
root over (2/.epsilon..sub.r+1)}=v.sub.0/2fr* {square root over
(2/.epsilon..sub.r+1)}, and length L=[1/(2fr {square root over
(.epsilon..sub.reff)} {square root over
(.mu..sub.0.epsilon..sub.0)})]-2.DELTA.L where .epsilon..sub.reff
is the effective dielectric
.epsilon..sub.reff=[(.epsilon..sub.r+1)/2]+[(.epsilon..sub.r-1)/2*[1+12h/-
W].sup.-1/2
54. The energy device of claim 6, wherein said electrically
conductive surface comprises a height of a dielectric (h), and a
dielectric constant (.epsilon..sub.r), and said dimensions of said
surface for harvesting energy frequency (f.sub.r) comprises width
W=1/2fr {square root over (.mu..sub.0.epsilon..sub.0)}* {square
root over (2/.epsilon..sub.r+1)}=v.sub.0/2fr* {square root over
(2/.epsilon..sub.r+1)}, and length L=[1/(2fr {square root over
(.epsilon..sub.reff)} {square root over
(.mu..sub.0.epsilon..sub.0)})]-2.DELTA.L where .epsilon..sub.reff
is the effective dielectric
.epsilon..sub.reff=[(.epsilon..sub.r+1)/2]+[(.epsilon..sub.r-1)/2*[1+12h/-
W].sup.-1/2.
55. The energy device of claim 6 wherein said electrically
conductive surface is adapted to affect the RF conductive
properties in regions of the surface to provide for isolated,
conductive and semicondutive areas.
56. The energy device of claim 8 further comprising one or more
layers between a plurality of conductive surfaces, said layers
comprising an insulation material.
57. The energy device of claim 8 further comprising one or more
layers between a plurality of conductive surfaces, said layers
comprising a semi-conducting material.
58. The energy device of claim 15 wherein a conductive layer and an
associated insulating layer are added to said device during
fabrication of said energy storage component.
59. The method of claim 45 further comprising incorporating said
electrically conductive surface into said device during the
fabrication of said energy storage component.
60. The method of claim 48 further comprising incorporating said
electrically conductive surface into said device during the
fabrication of said energy storage component.
61. The array of claim 24, comprising a substrate element and at
least two collection surfaces, each said collection surface located
on opposite sides of said substrate element.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to and claims the benefit under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
61/087,927, entitled "Energy Device with Integral Collector Surface
for Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting and Method Thereof," filed on
Aug. 11, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to an apparatus and/or a system or
method of harvesting energy. In particular, the present invention
collects electromagnetic energy that exists in the ambient
environment or that is intentionally directed to an energy
harvesting device and stores said energy for later use.
[0003] Electromagnetic energy exists in all sorts of forms. It is
generally used to transmit information, but also exists, albeit
typically small, as a source of energy which may be collected and
stored.
[0004] Generally, systems that collect electromagnetic energy, such
as antennas for example, are only designed to capture the
information that is being transmitted through the electromagnetic
medium and generally do not capture a substantial portion of the
energy itself. Information-carrying signals, once received by the
antenna, can then be amplified by the receiver and filtered to
obtain the information. As such, the focus of such systems is on
the information and the particular wavelength on which the
information is transmitted, rather than the actual energy
itself.
[0005] Presently, at the same time that the amount of energy
electronic apparatus use is decreasing, the amount of
electromagnetic energy being transmitted is increasing. Further,
more and more electronics operate autonomously--either passively,
by sensing or collecting information, or actively, by performing a
function.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0006] It is one object of certain exemplary embodiments of this
invention to operate by collecting and storing energy from the
surrounding environment. Therefore, although certain embodiments of
the present invention may contain information-receiving circuitry
to accept transmissions, it is one exemplary object of the
invention to collect electromagnetic energy from the surrounding
environment and store it for current or later use. Various aspects
and embodiments of the present invention, as described in more
detail and by example below, address certain of the shortfalls of
the background technology and emerging needs in the relevant
field.
[0007] The present invention may include, for example, an
apparatus, system, and method for harvesting energy in the form of
electromagnetic radiation. In a preferred embodiment the invention
may include at least one electrically conductive surface that is
adapted to collect electromagnetic energy and an energy storage
component to store said energy.
[0008] An embodiment of the present invention includes, for
example, a metallic or conductive surface within the energy storage
component of an energy device such as an antenna to collect energy.
The surface may be an integral portion of the energy device, such
as a charge collection surface within a battery or a capacitor that
mainly provides the battery or a capacitor with another necessary
function.
[0009] In another embodiment of the invention a metallic or
conductive surface may be added to and specifically built into the
energy device during manufacturing for the purpose of collecting
electromagnetic energy for the energy device but is otherwise not
necessary for the energy storage component.
[0010] An integral conductive layer of one or more embodiments of
the present invention may be composed of the anode or cathode
collecting plate of a battery, and may perform the additional
function of collecting electromagnetic energy. In one embodiment,
the integral conductive layer may also be the actual anode material
of an energy device. In another embodiment, the integral conductive
layer may be the conductive outer packaging material of an energy
device such as the outermost conductive casing of a capacitor.
[0011] Added features, patterns, or shapes may be applied to the
conductive surface of an energy device to increase efficiency
and/or capacity in energy collection for a specific frequency band,
broad band, or other energy applications. For flexible devices, the
integral conductive surface may, for example, be curved (e.g.,
z-axis displacement) to enhance its energy collecting capabilities
or to enhance its directional reception characteristics.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0012] Some features and advantages of the invention are described
with reference to the drawing of a certain preferred embodiment,
which is intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention.
[0013] The accompanying drawing, which is included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and is incorporated in and
constitutes a part of this specification, illustrates an exemplary
embodiment of the invention that together with the description
serves to explain certain principles of the invention:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a cross section of an embodiment of the present
invention with the energy storage component comprising an
electrochemical cell.
[0015] FIG. 2A is a top down view of an embodiment of the present
invention with the antenna on top and without adding a depiction of
the substrate below it which might extend beyond the dimensions of
the antenna.
[0016] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of
the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 3A is a top down view of an embodiment of the present
invention with the antenna on top and without adding a depiction of
the substrate below it which might extend beyond the dimensions of
the antenna.
[0018] FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of
the present invention adding a diode.
[0019] FIG. 4 is cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of an
omni-directional array of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a
dual frequency array of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a
curved surface energy device used in an omni directional format of
the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional top view of a multi-planar
embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 7B is a side view of one device of a multi-planar
embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 7C is a side view from a different angle of a second
device of a multi-planar embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the particular methodology, compounds, materials,
manufacturing techniques, uses, and applications described herein,
as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology
used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular
embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the
present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the
appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include
the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Thus, for example, a reference to "an element" is a reference to
one or more elements, and includes equivalents thereof known to
those skilled in the art. Similarly, for another example, a
reference to "a step" or "a means" is a reference to one or more
steps or means and may include sub-steps or subservient means. All
conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense
possible. Thus, the word "or" should be understood as having the
definition of a logical "or" rather than that of a logical
"exclusive or" unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise.
Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to
functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be
construed to express approximation should be so understood unless
the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0026] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms
used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.
Preferred methods, techniques, devices and materials are described
although any methods, techniques, devices, or materials similar or
equivalent to those described may be used in the practice or
testing of the present invention. Structures described herein are
to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such
structures.
[0027] All patents and other publications are incorporated herein
by reference for the purpose of describing and disclosing, for
example, the methodologies described in such publications that
might be useful in connection with the present invention. These
publications are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the
filing date of the present application. Nothing in this regard
should be construed as an admission that the inventors are not
entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention
or for any other reason.
[0028] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 11/561,277, entitled "Hybrid Thin-Film Battery," filed on Nov.
17, 2006, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/687,032, entitled
"Metal Foil Encapsulation," filed on Mar. 16, 2007, which are
incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment
of the present invention. In this embodiment, the electrically
conductive surface 180 forms part of the structure of an energy
storage device. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the energy
storage device is an electrochemical cell having a cathode 130 and
anode 150 separated by an electrolyte 140. This embodiment contains
a barrier layer 120 and positive terminal substrate 110. An
insulating layer 160 encapsulates the electrochemical cell with one
or more conductors 170 extending from anode 150 to the electrically
conductive surface 180.
[0030] In one particular embodiment, the electrochemical cell is a
thin film battery as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/561,277 and previously incorporated by reference. In this
embodiment, from bottom to top, the device may, for example,
contain a metal foil substrate 110 serving as a positive contact; a
barrier layer 120 serving as a cathode current collector and
preferably composed of, for example, a gold, silver or platinum
sub-layer fabricated over a chromium, nickel, or titanium
sub-layer; a cathode 130, preferably composed of, for example,
Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO.sub.2); a solid-state electrolyte 140
preferably made of, for example, LiPON; and an anode 150 preferably
comprising, for example, Lithium. An insulating/adhesive layer 160
preferably made of, for example, a Surlyn layer that may cover the
electrochemical device and a wire mesh conductor 170 may be woven
between and in contact with the electrically conductive surface 180
and the electrochemical device.
[0031] In addition to an electrochemical storage device, such as a
battery or thin film battery, the energy storage component may be
an electrical storage device such s a capacitor or thin-film
capacitor but may also be a mechanical energy storage device, such
as, for example, a flywheel, micro-flywheel, micro
electro-mechanical system (MEMS), or a mechanical spring. The
energy storage component may also be an electro-mechanical device,
such as a piezo-electric element or a magneto-electric element,
such as, for example, various embodiments of the invention
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,088,031, entitled "Method and
Apparatus for an Ambient Energy Battery or Capacitor Recharge
System" which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The energy storage component may also be a thermal energy storage
device, such as a thermal mass container, or it may be a chemical
energy storage device, such as, for example, a hydrogen generator
with hydrogen container or an ozone generator with ozone container.
Each one of these devices may be used to store energy based on
certain exemplary elements of the system.
[0032] Similarly, the material and geometry of the electrically
conductive surface may vary depending on the system application. In
a preferred embodiment, the electrically conductive surface may
have a suitable electromagnetic impedance that is adapted to the
frequencies of the collected electromagnetic energies. In some
embodiments, the electrically conductive surface may be made of
metals, alloys, semiconductors, conductive organics, polymers,
and/or conductive composites. The device may also be flexible, for
example, and made to be wound upon itself in order to better
collect certain types of electromagnetic energy.
[0033] In several embodiments, the electrically conductive surface
may also be an integral part of the energy storage component. For
example, an electrically energy collecting conductive surface may
be embodied by the anode of an electrochemical storage device, the
anode current collector of an electrochemical storage device, the
cathode of an electrochemical storage device, the cathode current
collector of an electrochemical storage device, the encapsulation
of an electrochemical storage device, the substrate of an
electrochemical storage device, the casing of an electrochemical
storage device, the negative electrode of a capacitor, the positive
electrode of a capacitor, or the casing of a capacitor.
[0034] In some embodiments where the electrically conductive energy
collecting surface is integral to the energy storage component, the
surface may be, for example, structurally or chemically modified
beyond the primary functional need of said energy storage component
so as to optimize the adaptation of said surface to the collection
of electromagnetic energy. Structural modifications may include
enlarging the surface area of one or more surfaces by expanding,
stretching, increasing, or otherwise extending the surface. For
example in the energy device of FIG. 1 the surface 180 may be
expanded, extended, or otherwise increased in shape. Similarly,
surface 110, 170, or any other conductive surface may, for example,
be modified to extend the surface area to improve the energy
harvesting capacity of that or those elements alone or in
combination. Additionally, these conductive surfaces may be
increased in thickness or perforated in any preferable direction to
increase the surface area and/or the energy harvesting attributes
of these device elements.
[0035] As depicted, for example, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the height of
the dielectric 260 may conform to the thickness of a dielectric in
a capacitor or a battery or the separating element in a battery or
capacitor or a combination of both. It may, for example, represent
a battery cathode thickness plus a separator material. Substrate
230 in FIG. 2B may be provided, for example, by the cathode current
collector of a thin film battery. The antenna element 280 may, for
example be provided by an anode current collector of a battery or a
separate element. The dimensions for the various elements may be
derived, for example, by extrapolating from the descriptions found
in Antenna Theory, Analysis and Design, 2.sup.nd edition,
Constantine A. Balanis, 1982, 1997, ISBN 0-471-59268-4,
incorporated herein in its entirety. The height of the dielectric
(h), it's dielectric constant (.epsilon..sub.r), and the frequency
of interest (f.sub.r) may be adjusted by design. Once these values
are set, the following equations may, for example, be used to
optimize length, and appropriate width ratios. The lengths of the
antenna may be some even division of wavelength (.lamda.), such as
.lamda./2, .lamda./4, .lamda./8, .lamda./16, and so forth.
V.sub.0below is the velocity of light in free space.
W=1/2fr {square root over (.mu..sub.0.epsilon..sub.0)}* {square
root over (2/.epsilon..sub.r+1)}=v.sub.0/2fr* {square root over
(2/.epsilon..sub.r+1)}
L=[1/(2fr {square root over (.epsilon..sub.reff)} {square root over
(.mu..sub.0.epsilon..sub.0)})]-2.DELTA.L where .epsilon..sub.reff
is the effective dielectric:
.epsilon..sub.reff=[(.epsilon..sub.r+1)/2]+[(.epsilon..sub.r-1)/2*[1+12h-
/W].sup.-1/2
[0036] The electrically conductive surface in each embodiment may
be designed, for example, to be able to collect electromagnetic
energy in one or more particular forms. Such forms may, for
example, include electrical field coupled energy, magnetic field
coupled energy, light wave direct coupled energy, light wave
thermally coupled energy, laser or coherent light coupled energy,
sub-millimeter wavelength radiation coupled energy, broad band
frequency, narrow band frequency, directed energy, indirect energy,
ultra low frequency, super low frequency, very low frequency, low
frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, very high frequency,
ultra high frequency, super high frequency, extremely high
frequency, infra red light frequency, visible light frequency,
ultra violet light frequency, and/or x-ray frequency.
[0037] Additional components may also be included in certain
embodiments of the present invention. For example, an embodiment of
the present invention may include one or more electrical components
electrical components for rectifying the alternating current
induced onto an electrically conductive energy collecting surface
into a direct current so that it may be easily stored in, for
example, a battery or capacitor. These components may, for example,
be external to the energy storage component; however they may also
alternatively or additionally be imbedded within the energy storage
component. For example, the semiconductor characteristics of
Lithium Cobalt Oxide, which may be used as a component of an
electrochemical cell, could be n-type and p-type doped in certain
regions, thereby creating devices with diode characteristics, which
may be configured to operate as a rectifier.
[0038] FIGS. 3A and 3B depict an embodiment of the invention
providing a diode between an antenna surface 380 and conductive
substrate surface 330. As described by example above, the antenna
element 380 may, for example be provided by an anode current
collector of a battery or a separate element. Dielectric 360 may be
representative of the dielectric in a capacitor or a battery or the
separating element in a battery or capacitor or a combination of
both. It may, for example, represent a battery cathode thickness
plus a separator material. Substrate 330 in FIG. 3B may be
provided, for example, by the cathode current collector of a thin
film battery. Direct charging of the energy storage device may be
accomplished, for example, by connecting a diode between the
antenna surface and the conductive substrate surface. This
connection may be of the cathode of the diode attached to the
antenna surface 380 and the anode of the diode connected to the
substrate surface 330. The diode may be an integral portion of the
manufactured energy storage device or an external discreet
component.
[0039] A system for harvesting electromagnetic energy is also, for
example, provided by various disclosures herein. This system may
for example include a plurality of energy harvesting devices
connected together to form an array. The arrangement of devices
within the array may vary to, for example, optimize the collection
of electromagnetic energy in an omni-directional or uni-directional
manner. The energy harvesting devices themselves may vary within a
single system, for example, to optimize the collection of
electromagnetic energy of varying wavelengths--this may include the
shape and size of the electrically conductive surface, but also the
type of material. Further, the interconnection of the energy
harvesting devices may be arranged in series or parallel, for
example, to create certain voltage outputs. One example of an
omni-directional array, as depicted in FIG. 4, provides for two
substrates 430 to be placed together and the collection surfaces
481 and 482 to be directed outwardly. Dielectric layers 461 and 462
are provided between the substrate 430 and collection surfaces 481
and 482. Alternatively, a substrate with a battery or other energy
storage device may be placed on either side of the substrate.
Multiple surfaces of various configurations may also be provided. A
multi-frequency array may be provided, for example as depicted in
FIG. 5 by providing two energy storage devices 581, 582, possibly
with differing L/W ratios, for example, on one or more substrates
530. Multiple surfaces and/or devices may also be provided in
various embodiments. Alternatively, the top of a single cell may be
provided with an insulator/conductor patterned top that
electrically "looks" like the arrangement of FIG. 5, providing a
multi-frequency antenna with no external alteration because the
battery substrate would "look" like the total substrate in the
figure. FIG. 6 provides one example of a curved surface energy
device that may be used in an omni directional format. The curve
may be used to create a receiving surface that is, for example,
some portion of a sphere to allow gathering energy 610 and/or 620
as shown coming from the bottom or top of the drawing. As
discussed, by way of example above, a diode may similarly be
integrated into this exemplary design. Further, an antenna element
680, dielectric element 660 and substrate element 630 may be
provided, for example, as shown.
[0040] An example of a multi-planar embodiment of the present
invention is set forth, for example, in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C. In
this example, two or more devices (depicted in FIG. 7A as 781, 782)
may be arranged at an angle a to each other. These devices may be
built on separate substrates (depicted as 731 and 732 in FIG. 7A)
or on one substrate that is formed at the appropriate angle either
during manufacturing or as a post process step. The angle a may be
any angle, and may, for example range from 0.degree. to
180.degree.. The length, width and height values (L,W, and h), and
ratio's for these values, for any given frequency, group of
frequencies, or any pair of frequencies or bands may be identical
or entirely different. Additionally, diode rectification may be
performed on this or these embodiments similarly to a single plane
device wherein a diode may be provided, for example, across each
antenna/substrate.
[0041] This system may be used, for example, to supply power to an
autonomous electrical circuit solely, or in conjunction with
another source of power, such as, for example, a solar cell or
solar thermal collector. Such a combination would allow for an
autonomous electrical circuit to operate with or without sunlight
in an environment containing electromagnetic energy. For example, a
solar cell may be deposited directly onto a storage device during
manufacture, on top or bottom. This deposition may include PVD or,
for example, printing. Such a solar cell may include at least two
semi-conductors in contact with each thereby creating a p-n
junction. In addition, there may be metallically conducting current
collectors and a substrate in the solar cell. In particular, a
dielectic layer such as, for example, SiO2 may be covered by a
metallically conducting anti-reflection layer such as, for example,
Si--Ti--Pd--Ag. Similar to a battery that might serve as an
antenna-like receiver plane, a solar cell may be provided that may
produce energy but may not store the energy. However, the
SiO2/Si--Ti--Pd--Ag antenna-like receiver plane may be connected to
a battery, which in turn may or may not serve as an antenna-like
receiver plane to its own self.
[0042] A method of harvesting electromagnetic energy and/or a new
use of a device for energy harvesting is also, for example,
described herein. For example, one or more energy harvesting
devices or systems may be placed in an environment containing a
known or unknown source of electromagnetic energy with known or
unknown parameters such as frequency and power. The electromagnetic
energy incident upon the electrically conductive surface may induce
a current into the electrically conductive surface. That current
may then be collected by the energy storage component. In one
embodiment, an electrical current is, for example, rectified by a
rectifier circuit before it charges an electrochemical cell or
capacitor. The electrical current may also charge other energy
storage components mentioned above. Having collected and stored the
energy, the device may then be able to, for example, provide an
autonomous electrical device power to operate for a period of
time.
[0043] This invention has been described herein in several
embodiments. It is evident that there are many alternatives and
variations that can embrace the performance of energy or electronic
devices enhanced by the present invention in its various
embodiments without departing from the intended spirit and scope
thereof The embodiments described above are exemplary only. One
skilled in the art may recognize variations from the embodiments
specifically described here, which are intended to be within the
scope of this disclosure. As such, the invention is limited only by
the following claims. Thus is intended that the present invention
cover the modifications of this invention provided they come within
the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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